Re: Re: SETI as Rover

In a message dated 10/31/98 11:21:29 AM Pacific Standard Time, ted@hawaii.edu
writes:
<<
alas, the ARRL, in their narrow, terrestrial view of things, thinks that
Aeronautical and Space mobile doesn't count for VHF/UHF contests....
>>
The ban dates back to the lare 1960's and I am a part of the reason it exists.
Not that I wanted it to be.
Back in the 60's I lived in the metro NYC area and belonged to a small ham
clun called the Flying Amateur Radio Team. The club revolved around N-2718B
-- a twin engine AeroCommander 560 owned by Steve WA2CPX (now W4XPX). Others
in our organization included Lou K2VMR, Larry WA2PZI (who now flies jets),
Andy WB2EIR and Mary WA2CSM and others. We were more of a social flying group
than a real menace to terrestrial contesters.
Steve carried a Gonset G-76 on board. The G-76 was a 100 watt 80-6 meter AM-
CW (no SSB) tuble type transceiver -- circa 1961. It was used only on 6
meters -- 50.4 MHz.
Not to belabor the story, in '68 we decided to mount an all-out effort for the
AVHF Contest. Steven had antennas added to cover 2 meters and 1.25 meters. I
supplied a Swan 250C, and we borrowed Gonset Communicator IV'ss for 2 ans
1.25. We flew at about 9600' where we knew a trough existed -- flying the
phiripherie of the N.NJ. ARRL Section. And we racked up - what was in those
days -- the highest score to date in the history of that contest.
But the ARRL got a lot of complaints from ground baed stations cllaiming we
had an unfair antenna height advantage. There was -- I found out later -- a
rather heated discussion over the "acronym" of the name of our group (the
reason we chose the name in the first place). And so, the ARRL Contest Dept.
-- or whatever it called itself back then -- made another "instant new rule"
to disqualify us and ban further Aero Mobile operations.
To be quite candid -- kone of us really cared. We had proven our point and
were having far to much fun. The way ham eadio was ment to be. <grin>
And now you all know.
de
Bill Pasternak
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